Phyllis Diller

About Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Diller was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist whose career spanned nearly 50 years. She debuted at the Purple Onion in San Francisco in 1955 at age 37, developing a distinctive persona featuring a braying cackle, teased hair, outlandish costumes, and jokes about her fictional husband "Fang." She appeared in television series, performed on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!" and provided voice work for animated films including "A Bug's Life."

In this interview

• Discussed her upcoming engagement at Nick's Comedy Stop
• Talked about her distinctive teased hairstyle featured in promotional advertisements
• Kept secret whether she actually wears her hair teased offstage

“That's the secret. I won't tell you how I wear it. I like it like that.”— Phyllis Diller, in this interview

Since this interview

Phyllis Diller died on August 20, 2012, at age 95 at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, from heart failure.